Expectations and game speed

[Jos Elkink]

What is wrong with Cantr II is "expectations"... when you join first you expect things to happen much faster than they do, then when you become established and your real life calls, it is hard to slow down because other players expect you to be available and active.

We're trying everything to make this clear to players - it's clearly stated on the front page, in the 'first day page' on the Wiki, etc. What else can we do? Any suggestions? I know people don't read, but how do we fix this?

[Nakranoth]

Just as a thought, I'm not sure weather or not this happens already or not... but when someone starts a new account, make sure it pops up in rather large letters "Caution: Cantr is a slow paced game. Expect for your first character to take days to establish him/herself." Or something of the sort... like that they realize that it'll get more fun after a few days.

Edit: Also, suggest that they start three character... I loved my first... that was by chance... my second charrie wasn't fun until about a month ago, and my third died of bordem (literally). So, I figgure, a person with three initial charries has a better chance of having at least one that's fun to play with.

[Elros]

I agree, starting multiple charcters gets the game rolling faster. With one character the game would seem way to slow.

[viktor]

i can think of one thing that might fit in here, the violence cap on new accounts, sometiems a person will spawn in a somewhat hostile location or under somewhat hostile curcumstances, now for a person to spawn their first few chars and not be able to defend themselves when attacked i am sure would drive some new players away as rare as the occurrance may be it could cost us a player or two a month (that's the loss of a potnetial character per day in game)
besides, what harm can a newspawn do anyways barring some claymore or battle axe lyin on the ground
if you get attacked, i think anyone expects they should be able to defend themselves

again i should mention i have no actual statistics on this but i'm sure if we all think about it we can see how it can cause the loss of the occasional new legit player. as short as the violence cap may be. and as rare as the occurance

as for having 3 characters to start, gives a person better chance of finding something interesting right at the start and mor eperspectives to see right from the beginning.

[Mykey]

Other variant is possible also

[Sho]

I don't think your one or two new players a month is hugely significant against the dozens of registrations in a day (however many of them are frivolous). And I don't think it's good for us if a new player tries out the combat system, punches Mary Williams, gets bloodily terminated and quits - I think that's more likely.

[Mykey]

It is remarkable, it is very valuable answer

[Phalynx]

I don't think your one or two new players a month is hugely significant against the dozens of registrations in a day (however many of them are frivolous). And I don't think it's good for us if a new player tries out the combat system, punches Mary Williams, gets bloodily terminated and quits - I think that's more likely.

I agree, mind due an answer might be to make the first two characters of a new account immunue to violence for a couple of days in the same way they cannot inittiate violence. Being new I doubt they would be able to utilise it to its full advantage but it would create some interesting RPing situations.

[Nakranoth]

1934-3:You hear a voice "This person is still under our protection."

Finally Gods in game

[Sicofonte]

What is wrong with Cantr II is "expectations"... when you join first you expect things to happen much faster than they do, then when you become established and your real life calls, it is hard to slow down because other players expect you to be available and active.

We're trying everything to make this clear to players - it's clearly stated on the front page, in the 'first day page' on the Wiki, etc. What else can we do? Any suggestions? I know people don't read, but how do we fix this?

Don't let the people to just start playing.

Force them to read (or at least to see some pictures or drawings) about the operation and mechanics of the game, through some brief pages of compulsory visiting (hide the "next" link to enforce looking for it, unless the people were reading).

It is very annoying to tell each newbie "you should use the 100 gr bones in the bone shield project before participating on it, and for using the bones you should go to the inventory's page, look for the bones, and click the 'use' button... that one with a star that has nothing to do with the concept of 'use', and then..."
I know you understand.

A more intuitively interface and mechanics will increase the satisfaction obtained by the players since theirs first minuts in the game.

[Elros]

I believe for a game of this nature with such detail that you should have a simple tutorial. Before being allowed to play, a newbie must complete the tutorial. It could just take them thru the different menus and explain to them what they do, as well as possibly have them make an item such as a knife, and possibly travel to a nearby town. I know this is a lot of work, and would take a while to make, but I belive if a newbie got this small amount of training then it would save him alot of time trying to figure out the basic things like how to gather resources and add them to projects ect..

I know you people in the Programing Department are going to laugh at this because I know how much work it is to make a Interactive Tutorial, but I believe that it would attract more players, and keep the newbies from quitting.

[Phalynx]

Ok do these things you will get a better quality of new player, but a hell of a lot less new players will make it past those tutorials I think...

[Nakranoth]

But then, the ones that don't make it past the tutorials are the types that spawn... stand around looking confused for twenty days, then die...

So far as the tutorial goes... spawn them on a newbie island... full of things to play with... for them to leave newbie isle, they simply need to gather x potatoes and construct a bone knife... nah... I'd be bored to tears there... scratch that thought.

[SekoETC]

Remember my suggestion about how you couldn't use violence until you've seen it happening, wether it be by a person or an animal and directed towards a person or an animal. Wouldn't that make sense?

[Elros]

But then, the ones that don't make it past the tutorials are the types that spawn... stand around looking confused for twenty days, then die...

So far as the tutorial goes... spawn them on a newbie island... full of things to play with... for them to leave newbie isle, they simply need to gather x potatoes and construct a bone knife... nah... I'd be bored to tears there... scratch that thought.

The tutorial would not be required for every new character you make, just for every new player. You would be required to take it before you could start making multiple characters.